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UWS Mysteries: Wooden Treasure Chest Found Floating in the Hudson River

November 17, 2023 | 1:05 PM - Updated on November 18, 2023 | 10:17 AM
in ABSURDITY, COLUMNS
40
The treasure chest found floating in the Hudson River. Courtesy photo.

By Gus Saltonstall

Anybody misplace a treasure chest?

A mysterious wooden chest was discovered by a jogger Friday morning bobbing in the Hudson River against the shoreline rocks near West 104th Street.

The discoverer of the chest, who wishes to remain anonymous, carefully pulled it out of the water to find it locked, before carrying it over to Riverside Drive and taking the bus home.

Once home, he was able to get the chest open, but it only left him with more questions.

“Opening it to reveal its contents only fueled my curiosity further because I’m not sure what the objects inside are, or their significance,” the discoverer told West Side Rag.

The discoverer of the chest did not specify what he found inside, but said his intention was to “reunite the objects with the owner or someone that will truly appreciate them,” while remaining anonymous.

“Did it fall off a vehicle from the nearby West Side Highway? Or from a north- or southbound vessel? It could have floated in from New York Harbor, or downstream from upstate. Or was it purposely left in the river to be found,” he added.

If anybody knows the chest’s origin, or, particularly, if someone is searching for it, please let us know in the comment section or email at info@westsiderag.com.

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40 Comments
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Bill Williams
Bill Williams
1 year ago

Was the person who found the chest named Geraldo by any chance?

40
Reply
Sandro
Sandro
1 year ago

Did this guy just fall off the corncob truck from Iowa? No true NYer would’ve chanced going into that

21
Reply
L.B
L.B
1 year ago
Reply to  Sandro

Hey, don’t knock people from Iowa. I was born their and moved to NY 40 years ago and still return occasionally.

11
Reply
Father Hennepin
Father Hennepin
1 year ago

As long as it wasn’t body parts.

20
Reply
Debby
Debby
1 year ago

Was Jimmy Hoffa inside?

16
Reply
Nancy Platek
Nancy Platek
1 year ago
Reply to  Debby

They looked for his body at a home not too far from where I lived in Stafford Springs, CT. Supposedly someone with the Mafia had it for a vacation home. Obviously nothing was found.

0
Reply
Alex
Alex
1 year ago
Reply to  Nancy Platek

Stafford CT Small world born n raised there. Where was the house. l don’t remember hearing that one?

0
Reply
Christopher Robin HULLiger
Christopher Robin HULLiger
1 year ago
Reply to  Debby

Jimmy Hoffa was eaten by his own hogs on his farm in up State Michigan. That’s why his body was never found

2
Reply
West 90th Street Jeff
West 90th Street Jeff
1 year ago

Brings to mind the song from the 50’s: The Thing, by Phil Harris:

As I was walking down the beach one bright and sunny day
I saw a great big wooden box a floating in the bay
I pulled it in and opened it up, and much to my surprise,
Why, I discovered a (three knocks on wood on the recording) right before my eyes.

It goes on to tell a long, tragic tale of loss of friends and anger from the world with a moral:

The moral of this story is
If you’re out on the beach
And you should see a great big box
And it’s within your reach
Don’t ever stop and open it up
That’s my advice to you
‘Cause you’ll never get rid of the (three knocks)…
No matter what you do
Oh, you’ll never get rid of the…
No matter what you do.

13
Reply
Chris Funk
Chris Funk
1 year ago
Reply to  West 90th Street Jeff

3 knocks and that is evil 😈 calling the devil if you knock. 3 blood lines on your body is letting you know what you let out. I’m praying 🙏 you will be able to get rid of it!!

0
Reply
Mike M
Mike M
1 year ago
Reply to  West 90th Street Jeff

Song also featured in “The Last Picture Show” swimming pool scene!

1
Reply
Marion
Marion
1 year ago
Reply to  West 90th Street Jeff

I always loved that song. Thanks for the reminder. It’s truly appropriate!

1
Reply
Laura HANRAHAN
Laura HANRAHAN
1 year ago

Wow!! How mysteriously cool!
But what’s inside?? Do tell!

17
Reply
Renata
Renata
1 year ago

C’mon! Can we have some clues as to WHAT was inside? A photo of some of the objects? UWS sleuths need a little more to go on here please… [fun story also].

13
Reply
West 90th Street Jeff
West 90th Street Jeff
1 year ago
Reply to  Renata

The photo has no specific photo credit. and makes me wonder whether it was conjured up using AI software (“Give me a photo of a wooden crate on a riverbank”). The policy of this paper to date has been no heavily post-processed photos are allowable; still, it’s written in a column titled Absurdity. Could this possibly be just a fun article for amusement?

3
Reply
Carol
Carol
1 year ago
Reply to  West 90th Street Jeff

I resent your implication that a reliable local paper like the WSR would make up news “for amusement” — as well as the implication that New York city doesn’t have enough happenings for a paper to cover!

0
Reply
Vikki S.
Vikki S.
1 year ago
Reply to  West 90th Street Jeff

Agree about the photo. Story seems off to me, too. For fun, or as an experiment about “fake news?”

0
Reply
Shauna
Shauna
1 year ago
Reply to  West 90th Street Jeff

That’s a good point considering when you look at this “mysterious” wood box it seems to somehow miraculously have no water damage or warping or any sign of ever being wet if it’s supposedly been floating in the river for god knows how long…

7
Reply
Kathy
Kathy
1 year ago

Oh! I do hope you carry forward with this story. I appreciate why the finder did not want to reveal anything yet. But it has the makings of a bit of fun, or is it intrigue or worse? As a reader of forensic anthropologist authored books, I can also see some creepy or sad possibilities.

5
Reply
Michael
Michael
1 year ago
Reply to  Kathy

Here’s the thing he’s not revealing what is inside probably for the reason of identifying the owner. It’s kind of like finding someone’s wallet with money u don’t say how much because the amount of money is something only the wallet’s owner would know. So obviously if someone claims the chest they should be able to identify the contents

4
Reply
Phoebe
Phoebe
1 year ago
Reply to  Kathy

Patricia Cornwell could do something great with this!

1
Reply
Irate Partisan
Irate Partisan
1 year ago

OMG!!! West Side Rag how could you leave us hanging without even a hint as to the contents???

21
Reply
Vanessa Charles
Vanessa Charles
1 year ago

That thing is in astonishingly good condition for having wended its way (how, exactly?) to the river after a fall from a truck on the WSH, and/or having soaked in the Hudson (and nothing like anything transported in NY Harbor). Probably neither Hoffa parts nor doubloons inside given it was schlepped to the bus.

4
Reply
OPOD
OPOD
1 year ago

What’s in the box?!

11
Reply
Lisa H
Lisa H
1 year ago

Good for the person who fished it out and reported it! I hope we get to hear the outcome.

0
Reply
zig
zig
1 year ago

any crypto in dare?

1
Reply
Kayson212
Kayson212
1 year ago

Whoever can name the contents is the rightful owner. Any runner-up prize for a good guess?

0
Reply
Chase
Chase
1 year ago
Reply to  Kayson212

Jimmy Hoffa’s head in a jar

0
Reply
CaptainPete
CaptainPete
1 year ago

’tis me chest that was lost at sea! immediately return it by placin’ it under the 12th tree t’ the west o’ the ole sailors’ monument. If nah, curses worse than ye can ever imagine will come t’ ye ‘n yer family fer generations!

11
Reply
Seen It All
Seen It All
1 year ago

Oh man, a Pandora’s box. I would have been afraid to open it. Or called the police. I saw a dismembered arm on the street once. The rest of her was found in trash cans down the street. No way in hell I would have opened that.

5
Reply
Wendy
Wendy
1 year ago

Can you share the items that were inside with us? Maybe we can figure it out together.

0
Reply
Kyle
Kyle
1 year ago

Is it thr chest with heart of the captain of the pirate ship 😂

0
Reply
Louise
Louise
1 year ago

The chest looks in good condition. Makes me wonder if someone puposely place it in the water with interesting contents so as to create a mystery puzzle for us all.

3
Reply
David Thompson
David Thompson
1 year ago

It wasnt a treasure chest. It was a makeshift houseboat. 4 illegals were living in it

4
Reply
Duckcassowary
Duckcassowary
1 year ago

you simply can’t report finding a mysterious chest in the river and then not describe its contents – that’s rule 1 of storytelling

1
Reply
Rwc
Rwc
1 year ago

This sounds like a fabricated story. He opened the chest and his refusing to reveal what’s in it.

5
Reply
Tee
Tee
1 year ago

I am really interested in this happening, but also wonder if it is real. There is o water damage, the crate looks new and also it look heavy. For the finder of this chest to have carried it to his apartment, seems odd.

1
Reply
Elisabeth Jakab
Elisabeth Jakab
1 year ago

Honestly, what a lot of kerfuffle! I’m sure the mystery will be revealed to us in due course.

0
Reply
charles
charles
1 year ago

re : original article from West Side Rag:
https://www.westsiderag.com/2023/11/17/uws-mysteries-wooden-treasure-chest-found-floating-in-the-hudson-river

0
Reply
Petasso
Petasso
1 year ago

Oh no! I can see this becoming a trend.

0
Reply

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